Brick-machine



v2 Sheets-#Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

1..'B. KENNEDY.

Patented Mar. 11.1884.

v N. PETERS. lhdlvLhognpher. Wallington l!A C.

(No Mdelr.) 2 ISheeES--iheet 2Q L.B.KENNBDY.

BRICK MACHINE.

No.295,o19. v Patented Mar.1.1, 1884..

Zinke 72 for:

'UNiTEn STATES PATENT 'Erica LEVIS B. KENNEDY, OFv KEOKUK, TOVA.

BRICK-MACHINE.`

SEECIFICATION forming Apart of Letters Patent No. 95,019, dated March11, 18.84.

Y Application filed January 31, ISS-1. (No model.)

To aZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS B'. KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Keokuk, in the county of Lee and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improve ments in. Brick-Machines, ofwhich the followingis aspecification,reference beinghad therein to theaccompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in brick machines, whichimprovementsV are based on patents granted to me as follows: No.239,611, of April 5, 188i; No. 267,542, of November 14, 1882, and No.280,316, of June 26, 1883.

The object of my invention is to simplify the construction of themachines mentioned in the above patents, and thereby lessen the cost ofmanufacture, producing a machine more easily transported, while at thesame time the working capacity and effectiveness of the machine is notimpaired. i

The machines, as constructed under the patents above named, are providedwith a hori- Zontallyrevolving mold-wheel, in which are the usual moldcavities and bottoms, which are acted upon by the lower plungers. Themold-wheel ,being made of metal,is necessarily heavy and requires agreat amount of power to rotate it, and, furthermore, great nicety ofadjustment is required in order to have the mold-wheel revolve and stopat the proper point, so that the mold and cavities will register withthe'upper and lower plungers. Should any of the parts which operate themold-wheel get out of position, the mold-cavities will not register withthe compression-plungers, and as a result some part of the machine isapt to break, thus causing in many instances veXatious delays, .and toobviate these and other difficulties is the obj ect of my invention; and

. to this end Amy invention consists in dispens- `ing with the moldwheel and substituting Referring to the drawings, A A arethe side framesof the maclfine, which are by preference made of the best quality ofcast-iron, said framesbeing secured together by the pivots of theoperatinglevers, the shafts of the operating-wheels, and by any suitablenumber of cross-bars, so as to make the frame rigid and solid. Theframes A are further braced and held more rigidly to the base by meansof the brace-rods B, the lower ends of which are secured to the base ofthe frames, while the central portions are bent over the trunnions a,and .held in contact therewithby means of screw-nuts on the ends of thebrace-rods.

B is the main operating-lever,pivoted in the side frames at c, to thelower edge of which is pivoted the link b, said link being pivoted totheupper plunger, C. The main lever B is connected to the loweroperating-lever, D, by means of the connecting rod or bar E, said leverD being pivotedin the side frames, A,- at b, and provided withextensions or arms c, which exert anupward pressure on the moldbottom orlower compression-plunger, F-,whieh will be more fully describedhereinafter. The lever B is provided with a counter-weight, and isconnected to the main operating-wheel by a slotted bar, H, the lower endof said slotted bar being secured to a crank-arm on the main drivingshaft N, or by a wrist -pin to thev wheel M.

. The devices just described, with the exception of the arms c, areessentiallyof the same construction as the devices employed in thepatents hereinbefore referred to, and need no further description inthis application.

I I are Ythe mold-cavities, formed between the frames A A, in which arelocated the plunger and mold-bottom F, against the under side of whichthe arms c rest when the side pieces, d, impinge against the under side,

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of the mold-bottom or under pressure-plan ger, and in the downwardmovement of the lever D the plunger F is forced up bythe arms c to pressand compact the brick, it being understood that at the same time thearms c are exerting their pressure on the mold-bottom or plunger F theupper compression-plunger, K, is being forced down and the brick firnr'ly compacted between the oppositely-moving plungers, andthe claysubjected to an enor mous pressure between these levers of the firstorder.:7 The plungerFis connected to a pivoted and weighted lever, L, bymeans of a bar or link, f, said lever being pivotcd to the frame A at y.

To the outer end of the lever L is secured an adjustable weight, M,while the inner end ofthe lever L is provided with a stud or projection,71, adapted to be struck by a cam-like projection, I1', on the wheel M',which tends to depress the inner end of said lever and raise the plungeror mold bottoms F, so as to eject the brick `from the mold, said brickbeing pushed off the mold-bottom or lower plunger by devices which willbe presently described.

N is the feed-hopper, mounted on a bracket, O, secured to the side oftheframe in which the clay to be molded is placed.

P is the mold-filler, adapted to slide underneath the hopper X andreceive the requisite amount of clay to form one or more brickstherefrom. rlhe mold-illcrP is provided with a eut-off, R, which closesthe bottom of the hopper N when the moldiiller is thrust forward toempty its charge of clay in the moldy cavities, as is the commonpractice in this class of machines. The mold-filler is operated by meansof the following devices:

S is the main drivingshaft, to one end of which is secured theband-pulley K', while to the other end is secured a bevel-gear, T, whichmeshes with a similar wheel, V, secured to the shaft XV, said shaft lVbeing secured in suitable bearings, and provided at the other end with awheel, A. rlhe wheel A is provided with a Cam-groove, Yl, the office ofwhich will be more fully hereinafter described.

B is a lever pivotcd at n to the standard C', to the upper end of whichis provided the bar D, which connects the lever l with the moldfiller F.

To the lower end of the lever l/ is secured an arm, E, which is providedwith a stud, m, which enters the cam-groove I, and by means of which thelever B is rocked back and forth to push the mold-filler over themoldcavities and fill the same with clay. rFhe canrgroove is so formedand the devices operated by it that the moldfiller will be projectedover the mold-cavities, time being allowed for the clay to fall into thesame, and the mold-filler is then quickly returned, so as not toobstruct the downward passage of the upper plunger.

It will be noticed that when the plungers K and F have exerted theirpressure on the brick, when the upper plunger is being raised orwithdrawn from the mold that through the instrumentality of the lever L,the lower plunger is raised and forces the brick up, which followsclosely and in contact with the upper plunger, so that when the brickand upper plunger are free from the mold the upper'plunger will separatefrom the brick without disturbing or blistering it, and thus theinjurious effect of suction is obviated. Vhen the bricks have beenraised to the top of the mold, the incid-filler pushes them off to theopposite side of the machine, from whence they can be removed andstacked in the kiln. At this juncture the lever L is freed from the cami, and the weight )I causes the lever L to drop, bringing the lowerplunger down to the bottom of the mold and allowing the clay from thefiller to fall into the molds. By this construction l am enabled todispense with the heavy mold-wheel which I have heretofore used, makingthe machine much lighter without diminishing the effectiveness of itsworking capacity, while at the same time the brick produced in thismachine is of a very superior quality.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. The levers B and D, with their respective plungers andconnecting-rods, arranged and operating in the manner described, incombination with the clay-fecding device located at the side of themachine, as set forth.

2. A brick-machine the upper and lower plungers of which are moved inopposite directions to compress the clay by a single operating lever, asdescribed, in combination with devices, substantially such as described,for charging the clay into the mold and pushing the brick from theeiecting-plungcrs, said devices being located and operated from the sideof the machine, as set forth.

3. rlhe lever D, as described, provided with the arms c,in combinationwith the lower plunger, F, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. rFhe lever L, provided with the adjustable weight M, pivotcd in theframe A,and adapted to be operated by the cam 17, in combination withthe lower plunger, as set forth.

ln testimony whereof I have affixed my nature in presence of twowitnesses.

LEWIS l. KEINEDY.

lVitnesses:

J. F. SMITH, C. B. HARRTNGTON.

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